The best Filipino listening app depends on what you want to hear. LingQ and 50languages give you audio with matching text, Pimsleur and Glossika give you recorded lessons and sentences, and FilipinoPod101 gives you teacher-led audio and video. This page compares the audio and text in each app, replay, offline use and what stays free. For courses, see our Filipino app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Filipino. You learn from Filipino you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Filipino lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
- Each Filipino lesson is written at your level, with the text on screen and the read-aloud voices speaking it.
- Poppy explains hard Filipino sentences in English, so you can keep listening and reading.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- The lessons come with read-aloud voices, so Bubblegum has no podcasts or videos of people talking.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
LingQ
LingQ suits learners who want a library of Tagalog audio to read along with.
- Tagalog lessons and audio you import yourself come with matching text, word lookups and playlists.
- The audio source decides the voice, so you can hear many different speakers.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Pimsleur
Pimsleur suits learners who want to listen and answer without looking at a screen.
- Each Tagalog lesson gives you English cues to say in Tagalog, with recorded model answers.
- The lessons are taught in English.
MobileWeb
Glossika
Glossika suits learners who want to hear whole Tagalog sentences many times.
- Tagalog sentences come with native-speaker recordings, and spaced repetition brings them back.
- You can study online or offline.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk suits learners who want to hear single words and short phrases played back in games.
- Filipino words and phrases are recorded and sorted by topic, with listening games.
- You can record yourself and compare your voice with the model.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
- 50languagesA Tagalog phrasebook with English text beside Tagalog text and recorded tracks, and the website lets you download the tracks as MP3 files. You hear short phrases, not long talks. The website lessons are free, and the mobile app sells in-app purchases.
- FilipinoPod101Teacher audio and video lessons in the Innovative Language app, with speed and skip controls. Free weekly lessons and downloads come with a free account, the full archive and notes need Basic, and line-by-line dialogue needs Premium.
| App | Audio with text | Replay and speed | Offline | English help | Free boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Lessons with read-aloud voices | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Partly | Lessons by other learners are free to read; unlimited custom lessons need Pro |
| LingQ | Lessons and your own audio with text | Not confirmed | Premium | Not confirmed | Free to start with 5 imported lessons; Premium adds unlimited imports and offline |
| 50languages | English and Tagalog text with recordings | Replay by hand | MP3 download on the website | Yes | Website lessons free; app has in-app purchases |
| Pimsleur | Audio lessons | Not confirmed | Downloads | Yes | 7-day trial, then paid |
| Glossika | Sentences with recordings | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes | 7 days free, then paid |
| uTalk | Words and phrases with recordings | Slow playback | After download | Yes | Starter words and one score-unlocked topic free, the rest paid |
| FilipinoPod101 | Teacher audio and video | Speed and skip controls | Downloads | Not confirmed | Free weekly lessons; archive on Basic, dialogue on Premium |
For more reading and viewing, our Filipino comprehensible input app comparison covers vlogs, songs and texts. To say Tagalog aloud, see our Filipino speaking apps.
Which Filipino listening app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Filipino, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or choose Pimsleur if you want audio lessons that are taught in English, or 50languages if you want short phrases with English text beside them.
Which apps show a transcript while I listen to Tagalog?
LingQ and 50languages put text next to the audio. Pimsleur is an audio course, and Glossika plays sentences that you repeat, with English meanings.
Can I listen to Tagalog offline?
The Glossika app works online and offline, and LingQ offers offline use in Premium. 50languages lets you download MP3 files from its website, and FilipinoPod101 offers downloads with its free weekly lessons.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- LingQ: learn Tagalog online
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing
- 50languages: Tagalog phrasebook
- 50languages: iPhone App Store listing
- Pimsleur: learn Tagalog
- Glossika: learn Tagalog
- Glossika: iPhone App Store listing
- uTalk: Filipino course
- Innovative Language (FilipinoPod101): iPhone App Store listing
- Bubblegum
- LingQ
